A Leap Of Faith, we’ve heard the phrase, and most of us have used it at some point in our lives. Probably in reference to some significant life decision, unlikely plan, or when a large amount of trust is given to someone who has not been proven. Having studied philosophy, I have come to understand the phrase in a Keirkegarrdian sense. A Leap of Faith, as Keirkeegarrd would say, is a method whereby you reach a conclusion or make a decision without being able to know all the facts.
“Leap of faith – yes, but only after reflection.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
What Do We Mean By Faith?
Whenever someone uses the term faith in the context of the phrase “a leap of faith,” they are most often referring to its original usage. The root word that makes up faith is the Latin word fides. As it turns out, this was also the name for the pagan goddess of trust. Which also turns out to be the original usage of the term faith. It had historically been used in reference to trust. I would say that I have faith in someone, and that would mean that I trust them. Likewise, if I said I had faith in God, it would mean that I trust him.
Faith used as a means to convey trust is not blind or without evidence, as some may suggest but instead occurs only after sufficient data has been collected. In the case of a personal relationship, you may have specific criteria for trusting an individual, albeit those criteria may be unspoken and unknown to you. Nevertheless, you likely have it, and if you do not have any requirements, whether known or unknown, you soon will. A Life spent giving your trust to all who walk in will leave you with more scars than anyone would care to admit. It is this personal criterion for trust that is met by the accumulation of data over time. This process goes by many different names, such as getting to know them, dating, hanging out, or working together. Typically by spending time and learning about another person, you will come to make certain judgments about their character as revealed by their persistent behavior. The longer you are around them, the more likely you are to verify specific patterns of behavior. It is the patterned behavior that will lead you to trust or distrust the individual.
Let us consider the following example. Imagine you have been working with someone for six months, and over the course of those six months, your co-worker has left you with the majority of the workload on 8 of 12 projects and missed 4 out of 7 meetings, all the while spreading rumors about your marriage. You have confronted them and asked them, on at least four separate occasions to change their behavior, and they have been apologetic but unchanging. It is safe to say that you have accumulated enough data and could conclude that they are not faithful. It would be best if you did not put your faith in them.
Would you consider the suspension of faith as concluded in the previously laid out example to be without evidence? Likewise, if the story was inverted to display the positive characteristics of your co-worker, and as a result, you placed your faith in them, would your faith be blind? No rational person would make that conclusion. Therefore, faith is the placement of trust in a person, institution, idea, choice, or deity, only after much reflection.
How is the Leap of Faith Applied?
The whole of life is flooded with the unknown. Every decision, idea, deity, or institution, no matter how well researched, maintain at some level components which are entirely unknown to anyone. Although, you may not be able to know the topic exhaustively that does not free you from the burden of your choice. Simply because you do not know the complete history of the banking industry or all the implications behind opening a savings account, does not mean that you should not store your money in a bank. Nor does it mean it is irrational to save your money in a bank.
The leap of faith is employed once you’ve reached the chain of your understanding. It is used to leap over the areas of your topic, of which you have no knowledge. Jumping over areas of ignorance does not mean turning a blind eye to the topic or its implications. Kierkegaard, as you may remember, urged us to take a leap of faith but only after much reflection. That means working like the dickens to understand the information surrounding your topic but ultimately realizing that you will not be able to compile and exhaustive all-encompassing knowledge on the subject. At some point, after much investigation, you must leap. No more fence-sitting, the time will come upon you where your answer will be required. At that point you have to dare to know, you have to choose.
If you remain convinced, I have further expanded on the time at which you must leap.
You can read about it here: The Leap of Faith
When to Take A Leap of Faith
As I highlighted in the previous section, a leap of faith is taken to leap over the pit of the unknown. Knowing when you do not know, or rather cannot know is a critical aspect of the leap of faith. It must occur when your understanding and ability to understand has been exhausted.
If you have ever watched a professional chess game, you will have seen one of the players likely forfeiting the game early. They do this because they believe that all of their moves have been exhausted. They cannot see a way to win the game, so they end it on their terms. To some, it is also a display of skill to know when you have been beaten. The trouble comes when the player does not take a chance to think through every move. In these cases, the player forfeits without realizing they still viable moves to make.
Deciding on when to take a leap of faith is a lot like playing chess. You do not want to jump prematurely. If you leap without thinking everything through as far as you can, your jump may not get you to the other side. By ensuring that you have considered everything through, you can shrink the gap that you have to jump. The more that you know, the less there is that you do not know. The less you do not know, the smaller the pit of unknowing is. The smaller the pit, the less dangerous the jump will be.
So, take your leap once you realize there is nothing more you can know or at least after you have verified that you know enough to make your choice reasonably. In many cases you will not need to come to the point at which you exhaust your intellect. However, no matter the situation the more time you spend in reflection will help to mitigate the risk of your leap
Conclusion
No matter who you are, what you do, or what you believe, it is inevitable that at some point in your life, you will be required to take a leap of faith. All of life requires an answer, from what you eat every day, to who you will marry, and what you will believe. You will not be able to sit on the fence forever regarding these decisions. Your actions are important, and your choices are meaningful. You will not be allowed to remain inactive. You are a conscious and free agent. If you choose to put off your choices and shirk the responsibility given to you will it will cause you great harm. Many people have lost their lives through inaction. It is the dead who are motionless, we, the living, must act!
You made some good points here.
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